Letter-embossing machine.



-1\lfo."72`5,l39. PATENTED APR. 14, 1903. W.VG. REYNOLDS & T. D. MGCLUSKEYI.

LETTER EMBOSSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR'. 30, 1902.

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W. G. REYNOLDS a; T. D. MCGLUSKEY.

LETTER EMEOSSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR4 30, 1902.

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LETTER EM-BSSING MACHINE.

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No. 725,139. I PATENTED APE.. 14, 1903. W. G. REYNOLDS L T. D. MOCLUSKEY,

LETTER EMBOSSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

N0 MODEL.

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and for other purposes.

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WILLIAM Cr. REYNOLDS, OF CHICAGO, AND THOMAS D. MCCLUSKEY, OF

HARVEY,

ILLINOIS.

LETTE-VIBOSSING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 725,139, dated April14, 1903. Application led April 30.1902. Serial No. 105,302. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM G. REY- NOLDS, residing at Chicago, and THOMAS D. MCCLUSKEY, residing at Harvey, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, citizens ofthe United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Em-A bossing Machines, of which the following is a specication.

The object of this invention is the production of a mechanism for forming letters in sheet Inaterial--as,forinstance, sheet metalfo-r making name-plates and printing-plates, The embodiment herein shown and described is designed particularly to emboss address-printing plates for printing the mailing-list of a newspaper or other publication, though it is susceptible of other uses. These plates when embossed, each with the name and address of a subscriber, are set in galleys of suitable construction, the galleys placed in a printingpress, and the entire mailing-list printed. The printing-plates are easily removable from the galleys for changes in the addresses, for cancellations, and for rearrangement.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of an embossing-machine embodying the features of our invention. Fig. 2 represents in perspective a finished printing-plate. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of said machine. Fig. 3a is a transverse section on dotted line a a of Fig. 3 to illustrate the clutch mechanism. Fig. 31 is a section on dotted line b Z2 of Fig. 3a. Fig. t isa top plan View of the plate-carriage, showing the surrounding parts of the mechanism. Fig. 5 is a similar view with the embossing-head removed. Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section through the plate-holder. Fig. 7 is a de- Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section on dotted line 8 8 of Fig. 4. Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section on dotted line 9 9 of Fig. 3.

In the construction of this embossing-machine We provide a bed-plate A, having suitable supporting-legs A. Near the longitudinal center of the bed-plate A we have formed a groove A2 in the face of the bed-plate for receiving the female die A3, bearing in integral projections above its face the embossing characters to he used in the operation of the machine. Near the forward edge of the bed- Vplate is a groove A4, extending parallel with the groove A2 for guiding the carriage, as will more fully appear hereinafter. On the forward edge of` the bed-plate we have secured a notched setting-bar A5, and directly below said setting-bar an index-plate A6,upon which plate are indicated the letters and characters to be used in the machine, placing them in proper position with respect to the notches in the setting-bar A5 and the embossing-dies on the machine. A punch-head A7 is secured at the rear side of the bed-plate A and overhangs the female die A3. This punch-head is provided with bearings AB for the cam-shaft, to be hereinafter described.

Male punches A9, capable of a vertically-reciprocatory movement in the vertically-alined openings A10 in the punch-head A7, are held elevated by means of coil-springs VA11, one spring surrounding each punch and bearing against a washer A12, underlying the pin A13, extending through an opening in said punch. The punches are provided with letters and characters corresponding, respectively, with the letters and 'haracters formed in the female die A3 with which said punches are adapted to engage.

A cam-shaft B is rotatably mounted in the bearings A8 in the punch-head A7 and carries at its forward end the drive-pulley B', loosely mounted on the shaft B, but adapted to be placed in clutch with said shaft by a mechanism to be next described. The hub of the pulley B is provided with a notch B2 and the cam-shaft B with a coinciding key-seat B3, in which key-seat a locking-bolt B1 is free to slide lengthwise of the shaft and to enter the notch B2, thus locking the drive-pulley B to said shaft. A collar B5, pinned to the cam-shaft B, carries a curved flat spring B6, fixed at one of its ends to the side of the collar and at its other end engaging the shoulder B7, formed on the locking-bolt B4. The tend` ency of the spring B6 is to slide the lockingbolt toward the huh of the drivepulley B'. The rear end of the locking-bolt has an integral stud B8, adapted to be engaged by the cam-lever B9 to withdraw the bolt from the notch B2 and to hold it from entering said notch. The cam-lever B9 is pivotally mounted on the stud B10 and is oscillated on. said stud by means of the presser bar B11, extending along the forward edge of the bed-plate A and ICO pivotally mounted at each end of the machine on the studs B12, with which presserbar the cam-lever is connected by means of the pivotal link B13. The presser-bar is held elevated by means of two coil-springs B11, one at each end of the machine. Intermediate its bearings As the cam-shaft B is provided with a cam B15, slidably mounted on said shaft, but rotatably connected therewith by means of the feather B111. The cam B15 has a hub B17 on each of its sides to provide a firm bearing for the cam upon the shaft B. l

A carriage C is mounted upon the bed-plate A and is slid-ably movable lengthwise thereof. This carriage comprises two parts-to wit, a plate holding and feeding mechanism and a part relatively stationary when the carriage is fed forward for spacing the letters. The plate holding and feeding mechanism will first be described. A guide-runner C', secured to the forward edge of said carriage, lies within the groove A4 and tends to give steadiness to the movement of the carriage. On the upper part of the carriage are mounted a locking-bar C2, having notches cutin its face, and a feed-bar C5, having inclined teeth upon its upperside. In the lower part of the carriage C, at each side thereof, are provided two notched supporting-bars C4 for holding the forward end of the plate-holder C5. This` plate-holder comprises two hinged members each cut away at its middle and adapted to fold together to hold between them a plate to be embossed. The upper hinged member is provided with a weight-block C6 at its forward edge and the other member with a spring C1' for embracing said block and locking said plate together. Just rearward of the weightblock C6 is a pin C8, iixed to said block in a proper position to enter the notches in the supporting-bars C4 within the carriage C and support said plate-holder therein.

The relatively stationary part of the carriage C will now be described.

Intermediate the locking-bar C2 and the feed-bar O3 is a plate C9, with which plate the carriage is slidably connected by means of the guides C10. The plate C9 is provided with two ears C11, extending upwardly therefrom and adapted to lie upon opposite sides of and embrace the cam B15, bearing against the hub of said cam. A setting-yoke C12 is pivotally mounted upon the ears C11 and extends downwardly from its supporting-pivots, terminatingin a handle C15, offset in its shank to embrace the presser-bar B11 and having near its lower edge a tooth C14 to enter the notches of the setting-bar A5. A three-arm leverisfixed on the shaft C15,rotatably mounted in suitable openings in the ears C11, and having an operating hand-lever C111, fixed to said shaft outside of said ears. One arm, O11,

of this three-arm lever extends upwardly and bears at its upper end a roller G18, adapted to bear upon the periphery of the cam B15. A second arm, O19, of the three-arm lever eX- tends downwardly to enter the notches of the locking-bar C2, while the third arm, C10, of said lever carries an oscillatory pawl C21, normally depressed by the coil-spring C22, mounted upon said arm. The rotation of the cam B15 oscillates the three-arm lever and raises the arm C11 from the notches in the lockingbar, depressing the third arm, C10, of said lever with its spring-actuated pawl C21 to feed the carriage laterally with reference to the slide-plate C1. The handle C15, fixed to the shaft C15 of said three-arm lever, is provided so that the spacing-feed mechanism of the carriage may be actuated manually independently of the rotation of the cam B15, and a coil-spring C23 holds the arm C11of the threearm lever normally in engagement with the notches of the locking-bar C2. y

In operation a drive-belt from a source o power is placed upon the drive-pulley B' and a plate of zinc or other suitable metal put into the plate-holder C5, which holder is locked together by the spring C7 and placed upon the supporting-bars O1. The carriage is then moved to the first letter on the indexplate AG that it is desirable to emboss upon the printing-plate. The setting-yoke C12 is depressed over said letter, pushing the tooth C11 on said yoke into one of the notches'of the setting-bar A5. Depressing the settingyoke also depresses the presser-bar B11, and this by means of the pivotal link B13 moves the cam-lever B1 out of engagement with the integral stud Bs at the rear end vof the sliding bolt B4, permitting the flat spring B5, bearing upon the shoulder B7 of said locking-bolt, to press the bolt'into engagement with the hub of the drive-pulley B', said bolt entering the notch B2 in said hub when said notch is brought into coincidence with the bolt. When the locking-bolt B1 enters said notch B2, the drive-pulley and the cam-shaft are locked together and said cani-shaft and the cam B15 are rotated. The cam B15, which is moved lengthwise of the shaft B with the carriage C, was brought by the movement just described of the carriage into coincidence with the punch A9 of the letterindicated upon the-index-plate A5, and the rotation of said cam drives said punch downward against the action of its coil-spring A11 to emboss its let-ter upon the plate in the plate-holder C5. The rotation of the cam also moves the threearm lever, withdrawing the arm G19 thereof from a notch in the locking-bar C2 and pushing the spring-pawl C21 of the arm C10 of said three-arm lever downward, sliding the carriage with relation to the plate C9 one space to the left, Fig. l. Different letters are successively embossed upon the plate, the carriage (and cam B15) being moved backward and forward lengthwise of the machine into coincidence with any desired letter. When two impressions of the same letter are necessary, the hand-lever C15 of the setting-yoke C12 is held depressed,which action withholds the cam-lever B9 from engagement with the stud B8 of the bolt B1, thus permitting two downward movements of the punch Af and spacing the carriage C by the oscillation of the three-arm feed-lever after each punch movement. Whenever the setting-yoke C12 is released,the spring B1"L raises the presserbar B11 and said yoke and moves the camlever B9 into the path of the bolt B4. When one line upon the plate has been completed, the plate may be moved to the second or any succeeding line by pushing the plate-holder rearward in the carriage, so that the pin CS lies within other notches of the supportingbars C4.

The letters and characters of the female die are sunk in the faces of the projections extending above the surface of the bar A3. The effect of thus raising the bearing-face of the die above the surrounding surface is to obviate crinkling and buckling in the plate.

It is apparent that many changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the various parts used in that embodiment of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of said invention. We therefore desire to have it understood that we do not limit ourselves to the specific construction herein set forth.

l/Ve claim as our inventionl. In aletter-embossing machine, in combination, a series of movable punches; a camshaft; a cam slidably mounted thereon but rotatably connected therewith; means for driving said cam-shaft; a carriage slidable lengthwise of said shaft; an engagement between a portion of said carriage and said cam for holding the cam in coincidence with said carriage, said carriage comprising a plate-holding means and a setting means; and a spacing-feed between the setting means and the plate-holding means for spacing letters upon a plate thereon.

2. In aletter-embossing machine, in combination, a series of movable punches; a camshaft; a cam slidably mounted thereon but rotatably connected therewith; means for driving said cam-shaft; a carriage slidable lengthwise of said shaft; means on said carriage for engaging said cam to hold the cam in coincidence with the carriage, said carriage comprising a plate-holding means and a setting means, va rack-and-pawl connection between the setting means and the plateholding means, and an arm for actuating said pawl adapted to be operated by said cam.

3. In a letter-embossing machine, in combination, a series of movable punches; a camshaft; a cam slidably mounted thereon but rotatably connected therewith; a carriage comprising a plate holding means, a setting means, and a feed connection between said plate-holding means and said setting means; a clutch for connecting the driving means with the cam-shaft and for disconnecting it therefrom; and a lever for actuating said clutch adapted to be moved by said setting means.

4. In aletter-embossing machine, in combination, a bed-plate having a die; a punchhead having a series of movable punches; a rotatory shaft; a cam slidably mounted on said shaft but rotatably connected therewith; a carriage slid ably mou nted over-said bed-plate; means for setting said carriage; a connection between the carriage and said cam; a rack and pawl for spacing said carriage; and an arm for said pawl, which arm is adapted to be actuated by said cam.

5. In a letter-embossing machine, in combi` nation, a bed-plate having a die; a punchhead having a series of movable punches; a rotatory shaft; a cam slidably mounted onsaid shaft but rotatably connected therewith; a carriage slidable lengthwise of said shaft; a settingarm for said carriage; a spacing-feed connection between the carriage and the setting-arm and a clutch Vfor connecting said shaft with a source of power, adapted to be operated by said setting-arm- 6. In a letter-embossing machine, in combination, a bed-plate having a die; a punchhead having a series of movable punches; a rotatory shaft; a cam slidably mounted on said shaft but rotatably connected therewith; a carriage slidably mounted over said bedplate; a locking-bar and a feed-bar on said carriage, a portion of said carriage having a sliding connection with the remainder of said carriage, said portion having an engagement with said cam; a setting-arm mounted on said carriage; and a three arm lever pivotally mounted on said carriage, one of the arms of said lever being adapted to engage said locking-bar, another carrying a pawl adapted to engage said feed-bar, and the third arm being adapted to be moved by said cam.

7. In aletter-embossing machine, in combination, a series of movable punches; a camshaft; a cam for operating said punches, slidably mounted on said shaft but rotatably connected therewith; a carriage comprising a plate-holding means and means for feeding said plate-holding means; a lever pivotally mounted on said carriage for setting said carriage with relation to one of said punches; and a clutch for connecting said cam-shaft with a source of power, adapted to be operated by said setting-lever.

8. In a letter-embossing machine, in combination, a carriage comprising notched holding-bars; two members hinged together, each provided with an opening adapted to register with the opening of the other hinged member when said members are folded together; a weight-block fixed to one of said members; a spring-clip for holding said members together; and a rod fixed to said weight-block, the ends of which rod are adapted to lie in the notche of said notched holding-bars.

WILLIAM G. REYNOLDS. THOS. D. MCCLUSKEY. Witnesses:

G. A. HANCOCK, GEO. L. CHINDAHL.

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